Page 13 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)

Chapter

Thirteen

Sasha

I walked into the staff dining room feeling better than I had in months, my steps lighter despite the lack of sleep.

The scent of breakfast—fresh bread, something that smelled remarkably like coffee, and the rich aroma of grilled meat—made my stomach growl with actual hunger rather than a hollow ache.

Finally, I had proof. Undeniable evidence that I’d been right all along.

Someone in Earth’s command structure had deliberately abandoned me, had written me off as an acceptable loss while I’d rotted in that Kronock prison.

The memory of seeing those words on Admiral Zoran’s tablet filled me with savage satisfaction.

Now I just had to figure out how to tell Ariana that I was leaving.

The thought dampened my mood considerably.

My sister would be devastated that I wasn’t staying longer, especially after we’d finally begun to rebuild our relationship.

She’d want to know why I was rushing back to Earth, and I couldn’t tell her the truth.

I couldn’t tell her I was planning to hunt down whoever had betrayed me, regardless of how high up the chain of command that hunt might lead.

Maybe I could blame our father? Say he’d contacted me about something urgent? But that excuse felt weak. Our relationship with our father had always been a sore spot, and Ariana knew as well as I did that I wouldn’t rush across the galaxy just because he’d summoned me home. Not anymore.

Before I could come up with a better cover story, Ariana spotted me from across the room and waved me over with an enthusiastic gesture that made my chest tight with affection. She was sitting at a small table with Volten, both of them looking considerably more bright-eyed than I felt.

I was glad to see the Drexian with her. It meant I wouldn’t have to have an immediate heart-to-heart with my sister about my departure plans. I could ease into the conversation gradually, maybe make it sound less like a hasty retreat and more like necessary business.

“You look more rested,” Ariana said as I approached.

“I’m feeling better," I said, which was true enough. Having concrete proof of the conspiracy against me was better than any sleep I could have gotten.

Ariana pushed a plate of what looked like crispy, golden strips toward me. “Try the fried padwump. It tastes a lot like bacon.”

I took a piece and bit into it, savoring the savory, salty flavor that did indeed remind me of the breakfast meat from Earth. The simple pleasure of food that actually tasted good was still novel enough to make me close my eyes in appreciation.

“So who won the card game after I left?” I asked, settling into the chair across from them.

“Vyk and Tivek split the game that was going on when you left,” Volten said with a grin that suggested he’d enjoyed watching the strategic battle play out. “But after that, they were so focused on outmaneuvering each other that they paid little attention until Britta swept in and cleaned up.”

“When we left, she’d won the last two hands and most of the pot,” Ariana added with obvious amusement.

Volten laughed, the sound warm and genuine. “My one consolation is that I can out-fly both of them.”

“Same,” Ariana said. “Then again, none of them are pilots.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Volten winked at her. “It’s still a victory.”

The easy banter between them was charming, but I found my mind wandering to everything I needed to do before I left.

Volten stood, breaking into my thoughts as he leaned down to press a quick kiss to Ariana’s forehead. “I need to pop out to the shipyard and give Dek’s ship a final check before he leaves.”

I stiffened, my hand freezing halfway to another piece of padwump. “When is Deklyn leaving?”

“This morning,” Volten said, apparently oblivious to the way my entire body had gone rigid. “He told me earlier that as soon as he gets authorization from the admiral, he’s leaving. Says Inferno Force needs him back.”

I fought to keep from leaping to my feet. This morning? After everything we’d discovered last night, after finding proof that I’d been right about the conspiracy, he was just... leaving?

Volten kissed Ariana goodbye and nodded to me with a warm smile. “See you later, Sasha.”

I nodded and returned the smile, but inside I was seething.

Deklyn’s sudden and secretive departure had to be connected to what we’d found in Admiral Zoran’s office.

Why else would he leave without a word to me?

Was he planning to go to Earth without me, or was he distancing himself from my actions now that he’d helped me find what I needed?

Either way, he wasn’t sneaking off without so much as a goodbye.

The memory of standing beside him in the moonlit office, his shoulder brushing against mine as we read the damning evidence together, sent an unwelcome flutter through my chest. There had been something different about him in that moment.

He’d been less of the cocky Inferno Force warrior who drove me crazy and more of the guy who’d refused to give up on me in that Kronock prison.

And now he was running away. Well, he wasn’t going anywhere without me.